Roper's Ribs Inc

09/17/08

Fantastic bbq

by thebluemachine

I saw so many great reviews on here that I wondered if someone was posting under different names... but I went to check Roper's out for myself and realized why it has such a devoted following. It all begins with the service. Mrs Roper spent 10 minutes telling me all about the cuts of meat and advising me on which dish to go for (apparently the ribs & shrimp combo is the choice of the connoisseur). Then the food! As someone else here said, the sauce is amazing but it doesn't dominate. The meat is the star and the portions were very generous. The Ropers were even kind enough to throw in a taste of other cuts too so I could tell the difference. All in all, a great experience.

• Pros: RIBS!
• Cons: Just one location -- this deserves to be a national chain

06/08/09

THE BEST THERE IS!!!!

by sassyjk

Last year and this year we went on an RV road trip just to eat at BBQ places and find the best....last year Ropers was by far the best and this years trip we had to go back and its still the best even after trying a bunch of new places. Some places weve been: LC's (St. Louis) excellent!!, Rondevou (Memphis) excellent sausage and fun, Neeleys (Memphis) very good, Corkeys (Nashville) only thing I liked was the fried pickle, Arthur Bryants (Kansas City) not good to sweet, many others not mentionable. I would have never passed by this place and thought I needed to try it because its small and dingy but WELL WORTH IT. YOU HAVE TO GET IT...I cant stress it enough. Everything from catfish to st. louis style bbq ribs has been excellent, sides are ok but still good.

• Pros: BBQ, Shrimp, Catfish, BBQ, BBQ BBQ!!
• Cons: No dine in and small waiting area

12/12/08

Artisan ribs

by deanfrommn

I live iin Minneapolis and commute to St Louis. The trips can get tedious but one thing I always look forward to is Carl's ribs and Denise' cheerful smile. There are no better ribs, anywhere!!!! And the Ropers take pride in what they are do, a rare thing now days.

12/02/08

WOW

by MerchantAccountMan

We had come to St. Louis for a Rams game, and wanted the best St. Louis style ribs in the area. I read the previos reviews, and they were all true. The best ribs i have ever had. I used to work for a Famous Daves and had thought that those ribs couldn't be beat. Boy was i wrong, not only were they beat, they embarrased. Mr. and Mrs. Roper have a great product and terrific hospitality to boot. Thought i would suggest getting take out if you wanted the kids to enjoy with you, for that part of town isn't one that you want to bring the family out for a nice night out. All in all, Ropers Ribs was the best tasting BBQ that i have ever had and i would recommend it to anyone and everyone. And if you are reading this Mrs. Roper, thanks for the Sud's, and letting us use the bathroom.

07/29/08

Did Not Disappoint

by rocwell

My father was in from Colorado and said he wanted to try some of the famous St Louis ribs he's been hearing so much about. We took him to Roper's Ribs and they did not disappoint. The ribs, rib tips, riblets, and shrimp were outstanding. It was definitely worth the 20 minute wait.

Roper's is run by Carl and Denise Roper and what the little corner shop lacks in elegance is made up for in superior taste. The rib meat fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. The down home hospitality is felt the moment you walk up to the door. It is pretty much a take out place with people striking up good conversation while they wait on your food.

Definitely worth the trip no matter how far out of the way you have to go to get there.

06/30/08

Not Just Incredible...it's PERFECT BBQ!!!

by kevdonelly

It's worth every minute of the 20+ minute wait for food here, but don't let that stop you!!! I've eaten a lot of BBQ in my life and Roper's is PERFECT!!! It was so good I visited twice in two days, having different items each time. First, the #7 half-rack of ribs was perfectly sauced, incredibly tender and the perfect pink all the way through and shows the amazing smoke technique they use. The potato salad isn't bad, too.

The next day I had the #25 pulled pork sandwich. Rather than slather it in sauce and make the concept of a BBQ sandwich unusable (some places act like it's a Sloppy Joe), there's minimal sauce. And I mean minimal; the meat's the star. For flavor, they rely on a wonderful blend of savory spices. There's enough moisture to make the meat not sloppy, very tender and they don't skimp on the amount. Another bonus is they actually PULL the pork so the strands varied in length and the meat kept the moisture and tenderness needed for a sauceless sandwich.

Check out ropersribs (dot com) for menu, etc. but I'd seriously call ahead and pick up your order rather than wait around/park in this area. The neighborhood isn't "desirable" but not deadly or anything. There's a semi-paved lot around the corner half a block away where everyone parks and it's clearly lighted from the road. No matter what, the food is worth the trip and the guy at the counter was incredibly pleasant and helpful.

• Pros: Perfect BBQ, decent quantities, decent portions
• Cons: Dodgy neighborhood, long wait if ordered in person

06/11/08

Best Ribs!!!

by thefted

This is the best place in St. Louis to get ribs. I ordered the St. Louis style ribs and was stuffed for the rest of the day. I highly recommend Roper's Ribs if you're in St. Louis or if you're a fan of barbecue.

05/01/08

Good Eatin'

by moostache

A worth while stop on our journey from NYC to SF. Carl makes some mean barbecue and he doesn't hesitate to tell you all about it. We put ourselves at Mr. Roper's mercy and ordered two helpings of the baby back and shrimp combo--the "cat's meow" as he aptly put it. The tender meat fell off the bone with just enough bite to give you something to chew on. The smoky sauce was well balanced with notes of sweetness contrasting with heat and acid. And the pile of bones we left behind were licked clean. That said, it was the shrimp that I saved for my last bite. Perfectly cooked shrimp encased in a crispy-crunchy shell dipped in his house-made mayo, it rivals the best fried foods I've encountered. Carl's been scientifically tweaking his new shrimp recipe for three years and when it makes its debut I want to be there.

Keep up the great craft Carl and if YOU are in the the greater St.L area get to Roper's Ribs.

02/26/08

Do yourself a service and try these ribs - you'll thank me for it

by BentRiver

This is the real deal for BBQ. The owner can speak at length about the care that goes into producing the best BBQ around. The product speaks for itself. I ordered the STL style ribs which were tender and had the best flavor I have ever had the pleasure of tasting - the right blend of smoke, maple syrup, and spice, yum.

12/23/07

You haven't had que till you've had Roper's

by barry_mn

This place was an experience that any que lover should experience. We were driving through st louis on our way to southern illinois and I looked on this website to find a ma and pap place to try some real st louis que, and there is a reason this place has 12 (now 13) glowing reviews. The ribs were incredible and the service was outstanding. Ma chatted us up while we waiting for our food and and when we were done eating pa talked to us for about a half our about how they go about making their sauce the best. This includes calling all over north america to find the right kind of maple to make the sugar for his sauce. That brings us to the sauce and the ribs; succulent, sweet, a kiss of vinegar and and after taste that leaves you wanting more. The shrimp were awesome and my first experience with snoot was a memorable one. This place is easy to get to, right off I-70 and yes, the neighborhood is 'well worn' So if that makes you uncomfortable, get over it because you'll miss out.

• Pros: great food, great people
• Cons: none